Knitting machine



Mrch 3, 1970 w. HADAM ET AL KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 21, 1967 FIGJFIG. 2

FIGS

INVENTORS United States Patent O 3,498,084 KNITTING MACHINE WilhelmHadam, Reutilingen, and Ernst Goller, Pfulhngen, Germany, assignors toH. Stoll & Company, Wurttemberg, Germany, a partnership Filed Nov. 21,1967, Ser. No. 684,719 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 25,1966, St 26,158 Int. Cl. D04b 7/04 U.S. Cl. 6670 3 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A knitting machine of the type having opposed angularlydisposed beds equipped with latch needles for transferring stitches fromneedles in one bed to needles in the opposed bed. The latch needles arearranged so that when the hooks of the receiving needles in one bed areinserted into the transferring needles of the other bed the spoons ofthe pivotable latch members which normally close the hooks, strikeabutment surfaces formed on the transferring needles thereby pivotingthe latch members away from the hooks to open the hooks.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to latch needles forknitting machines, and has reference particularly to such needles of thekind adapted for use in the transference of stitches from needles in onebed to needles in an opposed bed of a knitting machine, e.g. of the fiatV-bed type.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND THE PRIOR ART In the production ofpatterned knitted goods on knitting machines, the pattern frequentlyrequires transference of stitches as just described. Thestitch-receiving needles participating in a stitch transferringoperation are not, in every case initially provided with loops. A stitchtransfer is, however, only possible when the hook of a receiving needleis opened, that is to say when the spoon of the needle latch has beenturned back to some extent to afford an opening between the needle hookand the said spoon. Whereas in the case of receiving needles which carryloops the opening of the needle hooks is brought about, in known fashionby action of the loops on the pivoted latches, when the needles areadvanced, there are no means to fulfill this function in respect ofempty receiving needles.

Consequently various devices have previously been proposed with the aimof turning back the needle latches about their pivots towards the needlestems through the agency of additional elements, such asspecially-formed brushes, fingers, magnets and the like. These previousarrangements have the disadvantage, quite apart from the expenseentailed thereby, that they are prone to mishaps which can result infaulty goods or damage to the needles and needle beds.

To facilitate the insertion of the head of a receiving needle into astitch which is to be received thereby, it has previously been proposedto provide the opposed transferring needle, at a position adjacent to astitch supporting shoulder thereon, with a lateral recess or notchpermitting penetration of the book of the receiving needle into the saidstitch. The insertion of the needle hook into this recess, andconsequently into the space beneath the stitch loop extending thereoveris further facilitated by the provision of a guide channel which isformed in the back of the transferring needle, the said channelextending in the direction of the book of that needle and opening intothe lateral recess. It is noted 3,498,084 Patented Mar. 3, 1970 thatthis previously proposed needle construction does not influence in anyway the needle latch, and consequently there is no automatic opening ofthe needle hook during transfer of a stitch. Instead, in this priorconstruction, care has to be taken that the tip of the needle latch doesnot meet any opposition until it is in the guide channel, becauseotherwise jolting with a consequently tendency to damage or defectswould result.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION An object of the presentinvention is to provide, in and for a knitting machine having opposedneedle beds, improved latch needles of the kind herein referred todesigned to obviate the aforementioned disadvantages and permit of thesmooth transference of stitches by such needles alone, i.e., withoutassistance from any auxiliary latch-influencing devices.

According to the present invention there is provided a knitting machinehaving opposed needle beds which are angularly disposed with respect toone another and are equipped with latch needles of the kind adapted fortransference of stitches from needles in one bed to needles in theopposed bed, said machine being characterized in that the latch needlesare so formed and operable that when hooks of receiving needles in onebed are inserted into the transferring needles in the other bed, thespoons of the pivoted latches of the said receiving needles strikeabutment surfaces or edges provided on the transferring needles so thatthese latches are swung over rearwards to open the hooks of thereceiving needles.

In accordance with a further aspect of this invention, the knittingmachine includes a latch needle characterized in that a V-shaped notchis formed in the rear of the needle stem at a location between theneedle hook and a lateral stitch transfer recess formed in a relevantside of the said stem. A hook guide channel is also formed in the rearof the needle which opens into the said recess and which is narrowerthan the spoon of the needle latch of a receiving needle such that aflank of the V-shaped notch interrupted by the aforesaid channel acts asan abutment surface or edge adapted to strike the latch spoon of areceiving needle inserted into the guide channel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may bemore clearly understood and readily carried into practical effect, aspecific example thereof will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is afragmentary detail view, partly in section, of portions oftwo opposed needle beds of a V-bed fiat knitting machine and illustratesthe initial stage of a stitch transferring operation during which thelatch of the receiving needle is about to be turned back to permit ofinsertion of the hook of that needle into a stitch which is to besurrendered by the opposed transferring needle,

FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 are views similar to FIGURE 1 depicting successivefurther stages in the said stitch transferring operation,

FIGURE 5 shows, on a greatly enlarged scale, the relevant parts of twoneedles co-operable in such a stitch transferring operation, and

FIGURE 6 is a cross-section taken on the line VI-VI of FIGURE 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings are shown theconventional book 1 and latch 2, complete with spoon 3, of a needle inthe bed B and also a known stitch transfer recess or notch 4 formedlaterally in the stem adjacent to a stitch supporting 3 shoulder St (seeFIGURE of an opposed needle in the bed B. It is to be clearly understoodthat the needles in both of the opposed needle beds B and B are, infact, of identically the same form and construction: but that a needlein one bed which is to receive a stitch transferred thereto from aneedle in the other bed is referred to hereinafter as a receiving needleand that the needle from which the said stitch is so transferred isreferred to as the transferring needle. Thus, in each of the figures ofthe drawing, the needle in the B (the bed hook 1 of which can be seen)is the receiving needle. Manifestly, for a stitch transfer from bed Bover to bed B, the positions and functions of the two needles would, ofcourse,

be reversed.

In the back of each of the latch needles in both beds is formed a hookguide channel 5 of the known form and disposition hereinbeforedescribed. As seen more clearly in FIGURE 5, however, the guide channel5 of each of these improved needles opens into and is thus incommunication with a V-shaped notch 6 which is milled into the rear R ofthe needle. The flank 6 of the notch 6 in a transferring needle facingthe hook 1 of a receiving needle has a continuous and solid surfacewhereas the other flank 6 of the same notch is interrupted by the hookguide channel 5.

As shown in FIGURE 6, this channel 5 is narrower than the spoon 3 of theneedle latch 2. Accordingly, when the hook 1 of a receiving needle isinserted and advanced into the channel 5 of a transferring needle(FIGURE 5) the spoon 3 of the receiving needle strikes the flank 6 ofthe notch 6 in the rear of the transferring needle which flank functionsas an abutment surface or edge. Consequently, as the transferring needleadvances, the latch 2 I of the receiving needle is rotated or turnedover backwards in the direction of the stem of the last mentioned needleby contact of this abutment surface 6 with the spoon 3. In this way, theabutment surface 6 of the transferring needle engages the tip of thelatch 2 of the receiving needle, the point of engagement being thuslocated at a maximum possible distance from the pivot of the said latch:the turning over of this latch is thereby enabled to take place slowlyand smoothly.

The wall 7 of the guide channel 5 in each latch needle is extended to apoint as close as possible to the lateral recess 4 which interrupts itto ensure that the hook of the receiving needle when the latter isadvanced is inserted beneath a stitch supported on the shoulder St andextending across the adjacent recess in the transferring needle.

It would be understood that the invention is not limited to the detailsof the specific example just described: more broadly considered, a veryimportant distinguishing feature of the invention, irrespectively of howit is practically carried out, is that the spoon of the latch of areceiving needle is swung back to open the hook of that needle bystriking an abutment surface or edge on the cooperating transferringneedle, this surface or edge being located at such a position inrelation to the pivot of the aforesaid latch as to inhibit any joltingof the latter when it strikes the surface or edge.

It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that theembodiment of the invention shown and described herein is subject tovarious modifications withi ing needle comprising a needle hook and apivotable needle latch having a spoon for providing intermittent closingof the needle hook and for transferring loops from the needles of oneneedle bed to the needles of an opposed needle bed through the needlesthemselves, each of said needles including loop support means located onthe upper surface thereof for holding a loop in the delivery positionthereof, a loop transfer notch formed in the needle shaft rearwardly ofthe loop support means,

, a guide channel for the needle hook of the corresponding loopreceiving needle formed in the lower surface of the needle shaft andopening into said loop transfer notch and means for providing opening ofthe needle hook through action of the needles themselves, comprising atleast one abutment surface formed in the needle shaft located forwardlyof the loop support means between the needle hook and the loop supportmeans and beneath the upper needle surface for abutting against thespoon of the needle latch upon insertion of the needle hook of areceiving needle into the transfer needle and for causing pivoting ofthe needle latch upon further forward movement of said receiving needleto cause opening of the needle book.

2. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein 1 saidabutmentsurface comprises a V-shaped notch formed in the needle, the width ofsaid channel being less than the width of the spoon of the correspondinglatching needles so that the edges of the V-shaped notch act as anabutment surface for abutting with said spoon and w pivoting the latchmember of said receiving needle when said receiving needle is insertedinto said channel.

3. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein the portion of saidneedle forming said guide channel extends as close as possible to theloop transfer notch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R. 6612l

